Gunvor Nelson (1931–2025) was an acclaimed Swedish experimental filmmaker who made the Bay Area her home for nearly four decades. Born and raised in Kristinehamn, Sweden, she originally came to California in 1953 to study art and art history, first at Humboldt State College, then the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), and finally Mills College, where she earned an MFA in painting. Between 1970 and 1992, she taught at SFAI, where she influenced generations of filmmakers. In 1993 she returned to Sweden and shifted her practice from 16mm filmmaking to digital video.
Over the years, Nelson made personal films that explored her own life and experiences. She thought deeply and freely about film editing and about when to use sound or allow a film to be silent. She collaborated with Dorothy Wiley on five films, three of which are included in this tribute: Schmeerguntz, Fog Pumas, and Before Need Redressed. BAMPFA holds Nelson’s 16mm camera originals and copies of her films in our film vault. In 2019 My Name Is Oona was named to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
John Sundholm of Stockholm University spent time with Nelson in her final years. Currently, Sundholm and film archivist Julia Mettenleiter at the Swedish Film Institute (SFI) are processing the collection of film material Nelson gave to the SFI, including completed films that were never released. Sundholm will share several of these films with us on November 16. We also welcome filmmaker Lynne Sachs, who studied with Nelson and became her friend; and Steve Anker, who worked closely with Nelson during her years at SFAI.
—Susan Oxtoby, Director of Film and Senior Film Curator
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive -- BAMPFA
2155 Center Street
Berkeley, California 94720
U.S.
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2155 Center Street
Berkeley,
California
94720